EM_  MEMORY  ©IF 
JD>R,IBL1IA©  ©RUFTOBAUM 


^ 


The  New  Art  of  An  Ancient  People 
The  Work  of  Ephraim  Mose  Lilien 


The  New  Art 

OF 

An  Ancient  People 


THE  WORK  OF 

EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 


BY 

M.   S.   LEVUSSOVE 

u 

Of    the    Art    Department,  College    of    the    City    of 
New  York 


New  York 
B.  W.  HUEBSCH 

1906 


••    •     •  •      »     • 

*•     •     •       ••••»•«••••»•* 

»°  •*•••••  •      ••     »»»        » • 


^ 


CUoo 
JALA 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
B.  W.   HUEBSCH 

All  rights  reserved 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Frontispiece,  Portrait 


PAGB 


The  Silent  Song  .         .         .         .         .         .'.11 

The  Song  of  Life  .  .  .  .  .  .12 

The  Storm  Scene  ....  18  and   19 

The  Song  of  Sorrow         .         .         .         .         .         .23 

Tears  on  the  Iron  ......         24 

Isaiah 28  and  29 

The  Exile's  Light 33 

Autumn  Melodies  .  .         .         .  .34 

The  Land  of  Illusion  37 

Ex-Libris — Maxim  Gorky  .  .         .         .         .38 

Passover 42  and  43 

Die  Kommenden  (Post-card)  .         .         .         .47 

The  Song  of  Love 48 

Souvenir  of  the  Fifth  Zionist  Congress  (Post-card)       .     53 


344001 


^ 


The 

New  Art  of  An  Ancient 

People 


|F  all  the  psychologic  phenomena  of 
history,  perhaps  the  most  remark- 
able is  presented  in  the  intense 
V  ^t  ^^  J  J\  nanonal  quickening  undergone,  in 
u^^S^^yf^  our  sight,  by  an  ancient  people — 
the  Jews.  For  centuries  homeless 
and  dispersed,  in  many  lands  confined  in  ghettoes, 
without  freedom  of  speech,  occupation  or  thought, 
one  would  have  expected  them  to  lose  all  national 
spirit.  And  surely  when  we  take  into  account  the 
tendency  of  all  subordinated  peoples,  the  tendency  to 
assimilate  with  the  opinions  and  ideals  of  the  dom- 
inant, we  would  naturally  conclude  that,  by  our  time, 
all  their  characteristic  and  distinctive  points  of  view 
should    have  been  completely  obliterated.     And  yet, 


=> 


*  c'    *  *    e     °°   '  '       '  '  ' 

TH^  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

the  Jewish  soul,  far  from  having  exhausted  itself  in 
what  Matthew  Arnold  calls,  its  message  of  "  conduct" 
and  "  obedience  to  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  is  now 
awakening  to  a  newer  activity  and  a  larger  creative 
effort.  Not  only  have  its  recent  travails  brought  forth 
a  Zionist  political  movement,  but,  in  addition,  an 
extensive  literature,  a  drama,  and  an  art.  The  rising 
sun  of  Zion  is  shedding  its  light  on  everything  Jewish, 
and  this  light  is  reflected  in  the  thousand  works  of 
the  younger  intellectual  Jews.  Ephraim  Mose  Lilien 
is  one  of  these  younger  Jews. 

The  European  art-world  of  to-day  has  had  a 
renascence;  the  younger  element,  in  the  so-called 
Secession,  while  creating  new  forms  and  ideals  of 
its  own,  has  been  making  an  onslaught  on  the 
academic  and  classic  art.  We  all  know  how 
Cimabue's  first  life-like  touches  to  the  Byzantine 
Madonna  initiated  an  art-revolution  in  the  religious 
pictures  of  his  time.  Similarly,  have  the  Dutch  School 
and  the  French  Romanticists  completely  broken  through 
and  shattered  the  crystallized  rules  of  the  art  of  later 
days.  And  now,  divers  groups  of  young  artists, 
fighting,  some  under  the  standard  of  realism,  others 
under  the  banner  of  "  naturalism,"  or  the  newer  ideal- 

10 


The  Silent  Song 


J 


The  Song  of  Life 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

ism,  have  been  developing  a  new  art,  whose  content 
and  style,  even  if  at  times  erroneous,  bear  witness  to 
the  zeal  with  which  they  seek  to  create  new  and  more 
beautiful  combinations  in  color  and  form.  Lilien  is  a 
member  of  one  of  these  latter  groups. 


PHRAIM    MOSE  LILIEN    was 

bom  in  1 874  in  a  poverty-stricken 
little  village  in  Galicia,  in  the  midst 
of  Austria's  mining  district,  at  a 
place  known  as  Drohobicz.  Seven- 
eighths  of  the  population  consists  of 
Jews,  not  rich  "  enlightened"  Jews,  anxious,  where  en- 
vironment permits,  to  cast  off  allegiance  to  race  and 
faith,  but  Yiddish-speaking,  *Torah-loving,  hard-work- 
ing mechanics  and  small  shop-keepers,  who  live  in 
poverty,  study  God's  law  and  obey  His  command- 
ments. It  goes  without  saying  that  young  Lilien  learnt 
by  bitter  personal  experience  the  indignities  to  which 
his  race  is,  in  European  lands,  so  often  subjected. 
His  immediate  kin  were  as  much  in  fear  of  the  peas- 

*Torah — the  law. 

13 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

ant's  rough  treatment,  as  much  oppressed  by  petty 
officials,  as  much  hampered  by  anti-Jew  laws,  as  were 
^  any  other  members  of  the  Jewish  community;  and 
he  himself  suffered  like  all  those  whom  he  loved. 

His  father  was  a  wood-turner  and  too  poor  to 
send  the  boy  to  the  State  schools ;  hence  what  educa- 
tion young  Ephraim  received  came  to  him,  as  it  does 
to  so  many  of  his  race,  only  through  the  study  and 
discussion  of  the  Bible  and  its  commentaries.  But, 
apparently,  he  suffered  no  loss  thereby,  for  he  was 
absorbed  in  what  to  others  seemed  a  useless  occupation 
— the  drawing  of  pictures.  What  then  was  more 
natural,  in  casting  about  for  some  employment  for  the 
boy,  than  to  apprentice  him  to  a  sign  painter,  that  he 
might  learn  in  time  to  do  "  well "  that  which  he  really 
loved  to  do  ?  Accordingly  this  was  done ;  and  gradu- 
ally he  began  earning  enough  to  pay  his  way. 

But  as  he  worked  on,  his  soul  was  filled  with 
dreams  of  beauty,  and  he  longed  to  create,  to  express 
himself  in  the  only  way  an  artist  can.  He  went  to 
Cracow  to  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts ;  and  the  train- 
ing he  received  there,  far  from  satisfying  him,  served 
rather  to  stimulate  his  ambition.  It  was  not  surprising 
then  that  he  sought  the  great  centre  of  the  newer  art 

14 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

movement,  the  master  workshop  from  which  came  so 
many  beautiful  creations — Munich.  To  Munich  he 
went,  only  to  find  that,  hampered  as  he  was  by  the 
lack  of  funds,  he  could  not  acquire  the  training  he  had 
so  ardently  longed  for.  And  so,  without  experience, 
without  instruction,  guided  only  by  an  instinctive 
appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  and  by  his  characteristic 
tastes  and  ideals,  slowly  and  laboriously,  began  the 
development  of  his  artistic  nature. 

It  is  this  part  of  a  man's  life  that  is  most  critical 
and  momentous,  the  period  of  storm  and  stress,  of 
struggle,  of  temptation  to  leave  one's  chosen  calling. 
Many  a  man  who  vigorously  starts  to  hew  his  own 
path,  to  assert  his  own  individuality,  soon  discovers 
that  it  is  easier  to  follow  than  to  lead,  returns  to  the 
well-trodden  highways,  only  to  mingle  with  the  com- 
mon crowd.  Not  so  Lilien ;  he  persisted  in  his  deter- 
mination and  developed  his  own  strong  personality. 
At  the  present  writing  this  young  man  is  in  Berlin, 
recognized  and  admired  as  a  man  who  turned  art  into 
a  new  channel,  who  delivered  a  national  message  by 
means  of  form.  His  drawings  have  won  him  a  place 
easily  in  the  forefront  of  modern  illustrators. 


15 


oP 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

Lilien's  work  may  be  summed  up  as  follows  : — 

1 .  Illustrations  to  "  The  Tax  Gatherer  of  Klausen," 
a  volume  published  in  Berlin  in  1 898 ;  2.  Illustra- 
tions that  appeared  in  "Jugend"  and  in  "Vor- 
waerts ; "  3.  Illustrations  to  "  Juda,"  a  volume  of 
poems  written  by  the  Freiherr  von  Munchausen ;  4. 
Designs  for  book  covers  and  ex-libris ;  5.  Illustrations 
to  Rosenf eld's  "  Songs  of  the  Ghetto." 

His  first  work  (in  "  The  Tax  Gatherer  of  Klau- 
sen  ")  showed  little  individuality  or  strength,  although  it 
foreshadowed  possibilities.  The  heads  are  well 
drawn,  yet  over-much  detail  diverts  the  attention  from 
a  central  point.  Shortly  after  the  publication  of  this 
volume  several  illustrations  appeared  in  "Jugend"  in 
which,  technically,  the  artist's  individuality  asserted 
itself  more  strongly.  In  "Juda"  he  has  shown  his 
most  characteristic  work. 

It  would  be  impracticable  to  give  an  analysis  of 
every  one  of  his  drawings.  We,  therefore,  select  a 
few  that  will  serve  as  examples  of  the  art  of  this 
really  great  master  of  black  and  white. 

"  The  Silent  Song  "  is  the  title  of  a  drawing  whose 
subject  is  not  at  all  national.  The  universal  passion, 
love,  is  pictured  simply,  and  yet  with  Jewish  feeling. 

16 


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^Bk-'j- .-'^H          ^^^^^H^l-^7^^^^1        ^^r  .^Hlk — J^M/HllfllmniH&S&i   Jaf^' 

%y  /^  y  wmS&esm 

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P.. 

The  Storm  Scene 


J 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

A  girl  is  seated,  half  undraped,  her  cloak  fall- 
ing carelessly  to  her  lap ;  while  a  youth  bends  over 
her  in  embrace.  Her  arms  and  supple  body  as  she 
clings  to  him  exhibit  a  grace  and  physical  charm 
rarely  surpassed.  The  action  of  both  is  completely 
expressed  with  a  few  delicate  and  clear-cut  lines. 
Behind  them  is  the  dark  night,  illumined  only  by  a  few 
stars  whose  light  barely  reveals  the  trunks  of  some 
trees  in  the  distance,  while,  near  by,  the  motif  is 
repeated  in  the  form  of  two  billing  doves. 

In  "The  Song  of  Love"  two  nude  figures,  a 
beautiful  woman  and  a  muscular  man,  stand  in  close 
embrace.  In  the  drawing  of  the  female,  with  her 
sensuous  wealth  of  hair,  lilien  showed  a  full  appre- 
ciation of  the  physical  type;  yet,  the  peculiarly  Jewish 
side  of  his  art  is  shown  in  this,  that  despite  the  pose, 
subject,  and  treatment,  he  does  not,  like  other  artists 
of  the  Secession,  leave,  as  the  abiding  result  of  the 
picture,  an  impression  alone  of  fleshliness. 

Technically  he  shows  here  a  noteworthy  variety 
in  the  treatment  of  black  and  white.  Depth  is  sug- 
gested by  a  distant  stream  merging  into  the  mysterious 
ground.  The  peacock  perched  on  the  limb  of  a  tree 
forms   a   fitting   symbol,  and  the  graceful  curve  and 

21 


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THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

downward  sweep  of  its  feathers  tempers,  through  a 
happy  handling  of  mass,  the  violence  and  contrast  of 
the  black  background. 

In  "The  Song  of  Sorrow"  a  few  stars  shine 
through  an  inky  night  on  the  outstretched  figure  of  a 
girl ;  in  the  centre  is  placed  the  burning  incense ;  to 
the  left,  stands  a  neglected  harp  with  its  broken  strings, 
while  the  weeping  face  and  bent  body  of  the  sorrow- 
ing Jew  are  revealed  beside  it.  "  Like  unto  a  silent 
stream  in  the  night  is  my  sorrow." 

The  salient  points  of  this  composition  are  relieved 
against  the  light  and  simple  ground  and  seem  strongly 
to  emphasize  the  outstretched  figure  of  the  ghastly 
dead. 

"Tears  on  the  Iron"  is  the  title  of  one  of  his 
symbolic  drawings  illustrating  Rosenfeld's  "Songs  of 
the  Ghetto."  Through  a  huge  cobweb  is  seen  an 
unfortunate  East-side  workman,  haggard  and  suffering, 
bending  over  a  piece  of  cloth  which  he  is  ironing ;  and 
the  observer's  attention  is  divided  between  his  hope- 
less, tear-stained  face  and  the  symbolism  of  a  repul- 
sive spider-like  creature  sucking  the  life-blood  of  a 
hapless  bee  ensnared  in  his  web.  As  a  picture  of 
suffering  it  is  strong;  as  an  example  of  symbolism,  the 

22 


The  Song  of  Sorrow 


Tears  on  the  Iron 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

border  and  the  cobweb  are  both  striking  and  effective. 
As  a  work  of  pure  art  Lilien  surpasses  it  elsewhere. 
An  illustration  to  Rosenfeld's  "  Song  of  Life "  is 
a  typically  Jewish  girl,  arrayed  in  the  praying-shawl, 
impersonating  the  spirit  of  Jewish  Poesy,  in  the  garb 
of  Religion.  Her  hands  rest  on  a  harp,  while  she 
listens  to  the  music  of  two  angels  behind. 

"  Wen  weihst  du,  susser  Sanger 
Wohl  deiner  Lieder  Klang  ? 
Wer  hort  dich :  Wer  versteht  dich  ? 
Wen  ruhrt  dein  heller  Sang  ?  " 

"  To  whom,  sweet  singer,  do  you  dedicate  your  song  ? 
Who  hears,  who  understands  you?  Whom  does 
your  clear  singing  move?"  asks  the  poet;  and  she 
seems  to  feel  the  force  of  the  warning : 

"  Els  mag  deine  ganze  Seele 
Einstromen  in  dein  Lied. 
Kein  Herz  wirst  du  erwecken 
Im  harten,  starren  Granit." 

"  Though  your  whole  soul  may  be  poured  into  your 
song,  you*  11  quicken  no  heart  in  the  hard,  unyielding 
granite." 

"The  Storm  Scene"  is  one  of  his  strongest  pic- 
tures.    On  a  boat  driven  through  the  dark  night  are 

25 


^ 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

two  old  Jews,  traveling  onward.  A  storm  is  raging 
around  them;  and  amidst  the  rigging,  enveloped  in 
wings  of  inky  blackness,  sits  the  Angel  of  Death  gaz- 
ing upon  her  helpless  and  forlorn  prey.  The  studied 
simplicity  of  the  drawing,  the  omission  of  superfluous 
detail,  and  the  contrast  of  mass  are  noteworthy. 

"  Isaiah,"  likewise,  is  a  powerful  composition.  To 
the  left  is  the  noble  figure  of  the  prophet  lost  in  pro- 
found meditation,  pausing  in  a  thorny  path  through 
which  he  has  walked.  In  the  middle  distance  may 
be  seen  a  group  of  young  people  dancing  joyously  in 
the  light.  Far  behind  them  are  the  houses  and  roofs 
of  Jerusalem  over  which  broods  a  threatening  storm. 
Wrapt  in  thought,  the  prophet  watches  those  dancing 
figures  through  the  burning  incense  of  the  central  altar. 
The  exalted  figure  of  Isaiah,  the  wind-driven  trees 
amidst  which  he  stands,  presaging  the  approaching 
storm,  the  deepening  clouds  brooding  over  the  entire 
scene,  the  pleasure-loving  crowd  all  heedless  or  un- 
conscious of  the  impending  danger,  not  only  show 
Lilien's  mastery  of  the  technique  of  composition,  but 
they  express  the  Hebraic  nature,  the  gloom  and 
inspiration  of  his  style. 

In  "The  Exile's  Light,"  the  head  of  an  old  man 

26 


Isaiah 


•  . 


J 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

is  seen  looking  up  from  a  bible,  his  hand  resting  lov- 
ingly on  its  open  page.  The  table  on  which  the  book 
rests  as  well  as  the  shelf  behind,  with  the  candles, 
give  a  horizontality  to  the  composition,  broken  by  the 
vertical  tapers  in  the  foreground  and  back.  A 
cleverly  conceived  border  of  ram's  horns  and  palms, 
objects  used  on  the  Atonement  Day,  frames  the  illus- 
tration. When  darkness  and  danger  threaten  him, 
when  poverty  and  despair  oppress  him,  when  life  is  a 
burden,  and  hope  well-nigh  abandoned,  this  Book, 
this  Sacred  Word  of  the  Law,  is  his  sole  light,  his 
comfort  and  his  guide. 

As  a  "Souvenir  of  the  Fifth  Zionist  Congress" 
lilien  designed  a  post-card  that  for  simplicity,  strength 
and  directness,  has  few  equals.  An  angel  points  out 
the  road  to  a  sorrowing  Jew,  and  shows  him  in  the 
distance  a  strong  man  following  the  oxen  and  plough. 
This  is  Lilien's  solution  to  the  Jewish  problem. 

Less  delicate  in  line,  but  stronger  in  effect,  than 
the  "  Isaiah  "  is  his  "  Passover."  Omitting  half- values, 
with  bolder  outlines  and  greater  simplicity,  he  repre- 
sents a  strong  Jewish  head  and  part  of  the  figure  in 
the  left-hand  corner.  The  man  is  wrapped  in  the 
religious  robe,  the  Talith,  and  twining  about  him  are 

31 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

stalks  armed  with  monstrous  thorns.  His  face  is 
turned  half  way  to  the  observer  while  he  makes  his 
^  way  from  a  black  past  into  the  blazing  glory  of  the 
day,  as  the  sun  of  Zion  rises  above  the  horizon. 
Grandly  and  vividly  this  light  reveals  the  monumental 
works  of  the  past.  The  pyramids,  which  had  seen 
the  glory  of  Egypt  and  its  fall,  look  upon  the  figure  of 
this  ancient  Egyptian  slave  marching  towards  the 
light.  In  this  picture  Lilien  appeals  to  the  imagination 
with  remarkable  directness. 

The  "Autumn  Melodies  "  exhibits  a  curious  draw- 
ing. An  old  exile,  bundle  in  hand,  stands  in  a  field  of 
thistles,  relieved  against  the  sea.  What  a  unique  and 
curious  caprice  of  the  draughtsman  to  give  the  waves 
of  the  ocean,  the  boats  and  the  sea-gulls  in  air;  in 
the  clear  space  above  the  horizon,  the  exile's  head; 
and  straight  against  the  body  of  the  wanderer  a  black 
mass  in  which  his  feet  are  seen  through  thistles.  Poor 
wanderer,  with  your  autumn  leaves !  Your  head  may 
be  in  the  clear  light  and  free  air,  but  how  your  advance 
is  impeded !  However  clearly  you  may  think,  how- 
ever far  ahead  you  may  see,  you  shall  stumble,  you 
are  destined  to  distress.  We  can  almost  hear  the  cry 
of  Rosenfeld: 

32 


The  Exile's  Light 


I 


Autumn  Melodies 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

"  O  Elend !  Du  allein  von  Allen 
Liebst  mich  seit  meinem  Ersten  Tag. 
Und  ausser  dich — soweit  ich  blicke 
1st  auch  nicht  einer  der  mich  mag.** 

"  O  Misery !  Thou  alone,  of  all  the  world,  dost  love 
me  from  my  birth ;  and  beside  thee — as  far  as  eye 
can  reach,  none  would  have  me.** 

His  book-plates  exhibit  the  characteristics  of  all 
his  drawings,  beauty  and  strength.  Exceptionally 
graceful  is  the  one  designed  for  his  own  use,  a  beautiful 
girl  absorbed  in  reading  a  book  as  she  walks  along. 
For  strength  and  simplicity  of  execution,  the  book- 
plate Lilien  drew  for  Maxim  Gorky  is  probably  un- 
surpassed. An  uncouth  half-savage  Muscovite  peasant 
stands  on  an  open  book  inhaling  the  rising,  pure  air  of 
freedom.  Against  his  knee  he  breaks  the  knout  that 
so  long  kept  him  the  slave  of  the  tyrant.  In  the  dis- 
tance is  the  Kremlin  from  which  two  ravens — birds 
of  dark  and  evil  omen — fly  outward  through  Russia's 
black  atmosphere.  More  directly  than  words  does  this 
simple  composition  tell  of  the  horror,  the  tragedy, 
the  hope,  of  the  land  of  the  awakening  Moujik;  and 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  drawing  more  completely  in 
harmony  with  Gorky's  style  and  Gorky's  views. 

35 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

Of  his  book-covers,  that  of  "Juda"  may  for 
charm  of  design  and  harmony  of  color  be  described 
^  as  a  masterpiece.  That  of  Rosenf eld's  "Songs  of  the 
Ghetto  M  is  simple  and  appropriate. 

Has  Lilien  a  sense  of  humor  ?  Let  us  look  at  the 
vignette  of  the  post-card  of  "  Die  Kommenden."  To 
the  right  on  a  bench  is  a  girl  who  has  just  fled  from  a 
courting  musical  faun.  As  he  follows  with  his  lowered 
violin,  she  half  turns,  and  in  a  not  very  dignified  but 
most  graceful  pose  raises  her  hand  to  her  nose  and 
twirls  her  fingers  at  him.  The  action  in  the  faun  is 
so  completely  expressed  that  one  forgets  he  is  part  of 
the  bench-post  and  cannot  follow  the  tease. 

In  the  drawing  entitled  "  The  Land  of  Illusion " 
are  two  figures  kneeling  on  a  small  piece  of  sod  and 
lost  in  one  long  kiss.  They  are  held  high  up  amongst 
the  clouds  by  a  tremendous  giant,  Fate,  whose  derisive 
smile  shows  how  ridiculous  these  people  are  to  him  in 
their  complete  forgetfulness  and  dream  of  eternal  bliss. 
He  has  but  to  part  his  fingers  and  the  pair  are  dashed 
to  the  ground  miles  beneath ;  and  as  he  watches  them, 
completely  absorbed  in  each  other  and  in  their  dream, 
he  is  amused.  Around  him  circle  half-suspicious,  half- 
laughing  planets,  and  far  below  in  the  distant  back- 

36 


>     J  3 


The  Land  of  Illusion 


& 


« 

ci 


HSZ  KHHH 
MflKCHMZ  rDFbKiHy 


fet^;r,\^MM 


Ex-Libria — Maxim  Gorky 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

ground  may  be  discerned  a  tiny  city  with  its  houses, 
trees  and  hills.  The  grim  humor,  combined  with  the 
pessimism,  of  this  illustration  shows  the  artist's  phi- 
losophy of  life  apart  from  his  national  views. 


N  reviewing  his  style  as  a  whole,  one  hardly 
knows  whether  to  admire  it  more  for  its 
beautiful  technique,  or  for  its  strong  con- 
tent. As  regards  technique  his  first  care 
is  promptly  and  vividly,  and  yet  agree- 
ably, to  impress  the  eye  and  the  mind  of 
the  observer.  To  this  end  his  compositions  are  made 
up  of  large  and  bold  masses  of  black  and  white, 
whereas  his  detailed  figures  are  worked  out  with  clean, 
clear-cut,  graceful  lines  of  subtle  harmony.  In  the 
latter  he  shows  a  study  of  the  European  masters  of 
wood-engraving ;  in  the  former  we  perceive  the  influ- 
ence of  the  decorative  artists  of  Japan. 

His  masses  of  black  and  white  sharply  displace 
each  other,  with  little  attempt  at  softness  or  gradation ; 
and  yet  this  very  violence  produces,  as  it  is  calculated 

39 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

to  produce,  a  sense  of  vastness  and  depth  hardly  to  be 
expected  from  a  flat  surface.  And  in  his  figures,  the 
^  high  lights  and  deep  shades  caused  by  the  manner  of 
lighting  the  model  give  a  sense  of  strength,  mighty 
and  crushing. 

The  perspective  employed  in  all  his  pictures  is  of 
course  distorted,  but  distorted  methodically,  the  better 
to  produce  a  desired  impression.  Instead  of  accu- 
rately representing  the  foreshortening,  he  exaggerates  it 
and  moulds  it  to  his  purpose.  Thus,  the  paths  along 
which  the  Jew  travels  begin  wide  and  rapidly  diminish 
to  thread-like  lines ;  the  figures  as  they  recede  quickly 
dwindle  in  size — so  that  the  illusion  of  distance  is 
powerfully  produced  at  the  first  glance.  His  perspec- 
tive is  not  geometrically  correct;  its  peculiar  form  of 
exaggeration  may  be  termed  intensive,  distorting  the 
truth  to  intensify  effect. 

As  to  the  details  in  his  pictures,  he  eliminates  all  he 
can  dispense  with,  leaving  little  besides  the  essential 
elements.  And  what  he  retains,  he  conventionalizes, 
symbolizes,  transforms  into  suggestion.  Just  as  a 
familiar  musical  air  left  unfinished  will  be  completed 
by  the  hearer  out  of  his  own  consciousness,  so  Lilien's 
clear,  carefully  chosen  symbols,  by  association,  bring 

40 


Pass<n 


J 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

to  the  observer  feelings  that  make  the  work  deeply 
impressive.  Thus,  the  praying-shawl,  the  Star  of 
Israel,  the  seven-branched  candle-stick  of  the  Temple, 
the  hands  of  the  high-priest  at  benediction,  the  rose- 
stalk  with  immense  thorns,  etc.,  are  used  with  telling 
effect. 

If  objection  be  made  that  his  work  is  not  realism, 
is  not  a  true  picture  of  life,  the  answer  is  self-evident, 
it  is  not  intended  to  be.  Compare  this  man  with 
another  well-known  illustrator  dealing  largely  with  the 
same  subject — Oppenheim.  The  latter  is  somewhat 
realistic.  But  contrast  the  short,  unattractive,  fre- 
quently emotionless  figures  in  his  Synagogue  or  Pass- 
over pictures  with  Lilien's  beautiful  soul-expressions, 
and  you  cannot  but  conclude  that  a  pseudo-realism, 
such  as  Oppenheim's,  failing  to  express  a  spirit  is 
incomparably  inferior  to  a  symbolism  that  convention- 
alizes externals.  An  art  in  which  the  parts  are  formed, 
proportioned,  and  connected  merely  to  burn  an  emo- 
tional meaning  into  the  soul,  an  art  in  which  every- 
thing studiously  supports  the  main  idea,  conveying  its 
message  almost  as  clearly  as  words,  is  infinitely  more 
effective  than  the  most  accurate  photography  of 
drapery  and  feature. 

45 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

Turning  from  technique  to  the  content  of  his  art, 
we  find  his  feelings  ranging  from  the  purely  lyric,  as 
^  in  "  The  Silent  Song "  or  "  The  Song  of  Love," 
through  the  deeply  tragic,  as  in  "  Isaiah "  and  the 
"  Passover."  His  humor,  so  suggestive  of  Heine's,  is 
well  shown  in  such  productions  as  the  art  post-card 
of  "  Die  Kommenden." 

Though  pessimistic  in  some  things,  he  appears  ever 
optimistic  as  to  his  race.  The  gloomy  tragedy  of  the 
past  always  dawns  into  a  bright  future,  and  it  is  this 
optimism  for  the  future,  as  well  as  his  keen  artistic 
realization  of  the  Jew's  sorrowful  history,  that  forms 
the  keynote  to  his  best  work. 

To  sum  up  his  characteristics,  perhaps  the  distinc- 
tive qualities  of  his  work  are :  technically,  a  studied 
subordination  of  the  minor  elements  to  bring  out  the 
main  idea  of  the  picture ;  an  effective  employment  of 
large  masses  in  composition,  and  of  delicate,  rhythmic, 
living  lines  in  the  working  out  of  details.  And  in 
content,  a  profound  pathos,  a  pathos  born  of  his 
Judaism,  and  a  tremendous  power  of  appealing 
directly  to  the  imagination  in  expressing  national 
suffering  and  national  hopes. 


46 


Die  Kommenden 


-  ti> 


» » *   .  ■> 


The  Song  of  Love 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 


ft  RT   has  had   a   reawakening.      In 
M     Paris,  in  Munich,  in  Vienna,  the 


art  rebellion,  the  war  of  the  Seces- 
sion, is  being  merrily  waged;  the 
younger  element  is  creating  a  new 
style,  is  producing  novel  beauty. 
Judaism  has  thrown  off  its  lethargy.  The  Zionist 
movement,  the  later  Hebrew  poetry,  the  growing 
Yiddish  literature,  the  new  Jewish  drama,  point  to  the 
renascence  of  the  Jewish  spirit  in  Germany,  in  France, 
in  England,  and  in  America ;  not  the  Talmudic  spirit, 
but  the  spirit  of  a  young  and  healthy  national  self- 
consciousness. 

And  after  all,  are  not  these  two  movements  essen- 
tially identical,  essentially  the  same  striving  of  the 
soul — the  art  soul  or  the  national  soul — for  a  larger 
freedom  and  a  more  complete  expression  ?  A  new 
spirit  when  aroused  expresses  itself  in  manifold  ways. 
Why  then  should  not  a  Jewish  artist  wed  the  Hellenic 
with  the  Hebraic  ?  Why  should  not  the  ancient 
prophetic  soul  be  incorporated  in  the  beautiful  ? 


49 


THE  NEW  ART  OF  AN  ANCIENT  PEOPLE 

Lilien  is  a  Jew  and  an  artist.  Not  a  Jew  in 
name  only,  to  whom  religion  is  but  a  faint  memory, 
^  but  one  whose  heart  throbs  in  unison  with  the  heart- 
beats of  his  people;  his  longings  are  their  longings, 
his  sorrows  their  sorrows,  his  joys  their  joys.  Small 
wonder  that  his  art  is  the  art  of  living  Judaism ;  an  art 
in  which  a  living  people  hope  and  love,  work,  wander 
and  weep.  He  has  been  compared  with  Beardsley ; 
but  if  Beardsley  is  brilliant  it  is  with  the  phospho- 
rescent light  of  decay,  while  Lilien  shines  with  the 
light  of  a  rejuvenated  and  growing  people.  He  has 
been  compared  with  Mucha ;  but  if  Mucha  is  beauti- 
ful, his  beauty  is  of  the  earth  and  on  the  surface,  while 
lilien's  is  deep  and  far-reaching,  a  manifestation  of 
the  strength  and  beauty  of  the  soul. 

Strange,  (is  it  not?)  that  a  nation  which  had  not 
before  expressed  itself  graphically  should,  after  ages 
of  silence,  readily  manifest  its  national  feelings  in  art. 
Through  centuries  of  wandering  and  homelessness, 
through  constant  contemplation  of  the  vision  of  God, 
the  Jewish  sight  had  become  so  confined  and  pre- 
occupied, and  the  art-sense  behind  it  had  become  so 
disused,  that  the  nations  believed  the  Jews  incapable 
of  art,  believed  them  capable  only  of  thought.      But 

50 


THE    WORK    OF    EPHRAIM    MOSE    LILIEN 

the   Jewish    Renaissance    expresses    itself    in    lilien 

as  Art. 

#  #  #  # 

On  the  slope  of  one  of  the  mountains  of  the 
Rockies,  there  peacefully  and  quietly  flows  a  stream. 
At  one  point  in  its  path  it  suddenly  disappears,  is 
completely  and  mysteriously  swallowed  up,  leaving  no 
trace  behind.  Yet,  miles  beyond,  this  stream,  which 
had  apparently  sunk  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
never  to  reappear,  rises  again,  bubbles  up,  richer  and 
stronger,  laden  with  myriads  of  crystals,  catching  and 
reflecting  the  light  of  dawn  in  a  thousand  rainbow 
colors.  Even  so  has  the  National  Spirit  of  the  Jews 
again  come  to  light.  For  two  thousand  years  over- 
whelmed by  the  nation's  woes,  it  was  believed  to  have 
been  completely  swallowed  up,  giving  no  indication 
of  existence,  except  in  faint  rumblings  heard  in  the 
Talmudic  disputations  and  the  narrow  mysticisms  of 
the  middle  ages.  To-day  it  reappears  richer  and 
fuller  than  ever,  laden  with  newer  gifts,  reflecting  the 
dawn  of  a  new  life  in  the  thousand  beautiful  forms  of 
a  Jewish  Art. 


51 


J 


Souvenir  of  the  Fifth  Zionist  Congress 


^ 


U  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY— TEL.  NO.  642-3405 

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